History of Larimer County, Colorado, Part 73

Author: Watrous, Ansel, 1835-1927
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Fort Collins, Colo. : The Courier Printing & Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 678

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THOMAS H. DOOLITTLE is remembered by the earlier settlers of Larimer county as an upright citizen, a devoted father, a faithful friend. He was born at Ithaca, New York, on November 13th, 1835. On October 28th, 1857, he married Sarah M. Blauvelt at Buffalo, New York, and soon there- after, in 1859, moved to the State of Kansas, where he engaged in farming. In 1862 he enlisted in the 10th New York Cavalry and served in the Civil war until its close. In 1882 he moved with his family to Colorado, settling first at Boulder, from which place he came to Fort Collins, where he resided until his death in August, 1902. Mr. Doo- little was an honored member of the Masonic or- der and highly respected in his city and county.

PAUL FLICK was born in Clarion county, Penn- sylvania, September 9th, 1831. Removed to Wis- consin in 1856, and to Colorado in the spring of 1860. After spending the seasons of 1860-61 min- ing on Blue river, Summit county, he located in Denver where he remained until 1867. He re- turned to Wisconsin in the spring of 1867, where he married, leaving soon afterwards for Denver. In July of that year he came to the Cache la Poudre valley and located on the farm occupied by the family at the time of his death, December 15th, 1878. Being a pioneer in the valley and a straight forward honorable man in all of his dealings, Mr. Flick had an extended circle of friends and ac- quaintances all of whom were warmly attached to him. A wife and three children survive him. The

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HISTORY OF LARIMER

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farm he located and lived upon is near Timnath and is now owned by James Strang.

JERRY THORNTON BEACH .- Wherever sheep raising and wool growing can be carried on with success and at a profit, there one may expect to find some of the hardy sons of the Green Moun-

JERRY THORNTON BEACH

tain state engaged in the business. Vermont was for many years prior to 1850, the chief wool grow- ing state in the Union, but since that time the an- nual clip has decreased, owing to strong outside competition. But the choice breeds of fine wooled merino sheep of ancient pedigree raised in Ver- mont are celebrated all over the world, and have been exported to Australia, South America and other remote countries. Texas, Colorado and Cali- fornia sheep-raisers still visit that state to get thoroughbred animals to use in keeping up the standard of their flocks. Our subject was raised in a sheep-raising and wool-growing atmosphere and on arriving at man's estate, he came to Colo- rado to establish himself in the business that his father had followed among the mountains of Ver- mont. Mr. Beach was born May 26th, 1853, at

Castleton, Vermont, and raised on a farm. In 1872 he married Nellie Hewitt and shortly afterwards started for Fort Collins, which has since, with the exception of a few years spent in Wyoming, been his home. He stocked a ranch near Spring canon with sheep and laid the foundation for a competence, but in 1877 sold his ranch and sheep to Rogers & Moore and engaged in farming in Pleas- ant valley. In 1881 he went to Lookout Moun- tain, Wyoming, and in company with his father established another sheep ranch which he sold in 1889 and returned to Fort Collins. Since then he has bought and sold sheep and fed lambs for the eastern markets, going with one shipment to England where he sold his lambs at a good profit. Two sons were born to him by his first wife, Ed- gar and Walter. For his second wife, Mr. Beach married Salvina Flowers in 1880, and four child- ren were born to them: Mrs. Minnie Hotch- kiss, Mrs. Maggie Johnson, Mrs. Cora Snook and

MRS. JERRY THORNTON BEACH

Herbert C. Beach. His second wife died in 1905, and Mr. Beach now has his home with his daugh- ter, Mrs. Snook, at 410 S. Howes street. Mr. Beach, his young wife and father and mother ar-

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HISTORY OF LARIMER COUNTY, COLORADO

rived in Fort Collins from Vermont, December 31st, 1872. Shortly afterwards he went to work as a salesman in Jacob Welch's general store, hav- ing in the meantime, established his father and mother on the Spring canon sheep ranch, where he remained seven years, becoming thoroughly ac- quainted with the business and with the people. He was an excellent salesman, faithful, accurate and trustworthy. In 1890, he, like many others, engaged in sheep feeding and buying lambs on the range and selling them to other feeders. One sea- son he bought and sold 75,000 lambs, and was con- sidered one of the best judges of sheep in the county. Since his wife died in 1905, he has led a retired life. His father and mother both died in this city a few years ago.

JOSEPH SAINSBURY .- Born, 1837, in Woolshire, England; came to the United States when 17 years of age and began life as a farmer boy in the state of New York. Two years later he went to Sauk county, Wisconsin, where he married Miss Mary S. Goman. Served two years in the 12th Wisconsin veteran volunteer infantry. He came to Larimer county in 1876, and located on a farm in the Har- mony district, where he died Feb. 17th, 1889, aged 52 years. His widow and three daughters survive him. The daughters' names are: Mrs. H. C. Cov- ington, Mrs. R. N. Watson and Mrs. Henri Mc- Clelland. Mrs. Sainsbury re-married several years ago, her second husband being Samuel L. McCar- roll.

CHARLES FREDERICK WILLIAM CRADOCK was born at the family home at Hartford, Yorkshire, England, in 1861. His health being somewhat impaired, he was induced to seek a change of climate and came to Colorado in the year 1879, and took up his residence near Fort Collins. Wishing to profit by the invigorating influences of outdoor life, Mr. Cradock engaged in ranching and has been the ow- ner of several fine farms in Larimer county which he has brought to a high state of cultivation. His attention has been most extensively given to the production of forage crops and the feeding of live stock. In January, 1898, he was married to Miss Eleanor Maude Vaughan-Lloyd, of Richmond, Vir- ginia. There have been born to them two child- ren, Evelyn Constance and Eleanor Mary. The beautiful mountain home a short distance from Livermore, where Mr. Cradock with his family resided until a few months ago, had been his resi- dence for 15 years and was well known for the generous English hospitality of its inmates. Mr.

Cradock is convivial and an unsparing entertainer; his very highly esteemed lady is intelligent, well informed and devoted to her family, while the two beautiful daughters fill the home with a radiance which makes the visitor loth to depart. The clim- ate of Colorado has had a very beneficial effect upon the health of Mr. Cradock and he has been enabled to forget that he left his native land an in-

CHARLES FREDERICK WILLIAM CRADOCK

valid. He has given little attention to politics but has been disposed rather to attend to the business of his farm and the delights of his pleasant home. He now owns a beautiful chicken ranch south of Den- ver, where he and his family now live.

CHRISTIAN WHITE .- This old soldier whose face has become so familiar to every resident of Fort Collins and who has made his home here for the past 30 years, was born in the city of New York in 1848. His services were in active demand while he wore the uniform of Uncle Sam, and his pro- ficiency as a nurse was the means of his assignment to duty in the hospital wards of the army and navy. Many an old soldier, sick nigh unto death, has owed his recovery to the faithful care and unre-

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mitting attention given him by this experienced nurse. Mr. White came to Colorado in 1872, and followed mountain freighting for a number of years. Since coming to Fort Collins he has served as superintendent of the county poor farm five years. His services as a nurse have been frequently solic- ited by his friends and acquaintances. He is now on duty at the court house as bailiff for the district court.

LEWIS CROSS

LEWIS CROSS, a pioneer of the Little Thompson valley, postmaster, justice of the peace, and county commissioner of Larimer county from January, 1877, to January, 1880, died at the home of his son, John Cross in Denver, on Sunday morning, November 20, 1887, aged 71 years. Mr. Cross was born May 10th, 1817, in Rockingham county, Virginia, and lived at the place of his birth until 16 years of age, when he emigrated with his father's family to Wayne county, Indiana, where he followed farming. In 1840 he removed to Iowa, then known as the far West. He came to Colorado in 1860, settling first at Central City, afterward locating on Ralston creek, near the City of Golden, where he lived until 1873, when he moved his family on to a farm in the Little Thompson valley, one mile

south of the present thriving town of Berthoud. His entire life was one of usefulness and benefit to mankind. He filled many public posts of honor and responsibility, executing every trust faithfully and with great fidelity. He served sixteen suc- cessive years as justice of the peace, and soon after his arrival in the Little Thompson valley, he was appointed postmaster, which office he held until domestic affliction and broken health admonished him to resign, which he did in 1886. He was elected county commissioner to represent the third district in October, 1876, at the first election held in Colorado after it was admitted into the Union, and discharged the duties of the office with an eye single to the interests of the people. His colleagues on the board were Revilo Loveland and Noah Bristol. No man in Larimer county was more widely known and more respected, revered and be- loved by his fellow citizens than Lewis Cross.

MRS. LEWIS CROSS

JOSEPH M. PURDIE was born January 8th, 1856, in Schuykill county, Pennsylvania; educated at La Salle, Illinois; married Mary E. Newham, Dec- ember, 1882, at Weeping Water, Nebraska, and has four children, William, Elizabeth, Fern G. and Jeanette Purdie. Mr. Purdie came to Colo-

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rado in 1876 and located at Walsenburg; followed coal mining for eight years; came to Larimer county in 1904 and is now engaged in farming. In the summer of 1882 he prospected for coal for the Denver and Fort Worth railroad company with. Captain William Anderson.

THOMAS DAVIS

THOMAS DAVIS was born in Glenmorgan county, Wales, on March 31st, 1842. In May, 1868, he was married to Elizabeth Evans and the newly married couple at once set sail for America. Mr. Davis' brother, Ebenezer, had preceded him to this country and met him upon his arrival at Chey- enne in July, 1868. Ebenezer Davis had already settled upon a farm in the Poudre valley about eight miles southeast of Fort Collins, and upon the arrival of his brother, Thomas, the latter went with his wife to Ebs' home where they lived for a short time. In the spring of 1869, Thomas took up a homestead adjoining his brother's farm and at once moved upon it and commenced the work of bring- ing out the ditches and the building up of a home. When Thomas Davis and his wife arrived in this country they knew no other language than their native Welsh and their communication was con-

fined to the few families from Wales who were settled near them. Thomas' attention while en- gaged in farming was given largely to the raising of cattle, a business in which he met with very flattering success. In September, 1880, his life was brought to a sudden and premature close in an accident in which he was killed by a horse. He left surviving him his wife and five children, a son and four daughters. Mrs. Davis continued to live upon the farm and, with the aid of her children, to conduct the farming operations, proving herself to be an efficient and successful manager, until the spring of 1905, when she disposed of her farm and went to make her home with her youngest daugh- ter who had been married to Homer Thayer. Com- ing to a country where every condition was new to them, unfamiliar with the language spoken, pos- sessed with little of the world's goods, Mr. Davis and his wife, by persevering industry and frugality succeeded in winning a fair competence. Their ad-

MRS. THOMAS DAVIS

herence to the principles of Christianity, which they not only professed but carried very thoroughly into their daily intercourse with their fellow men, caused them to be loved and respected by all. Their

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children were educated and learned to adopt the standards of integrity which had guided their par- ents through life.

ANDREW ARMSTRONG was born in County Arm- agh, Ireland, in the year of 1824. At the age of 17, he came to America, and took up his residence

ANDREW ARMSTRONG

in the city of New York. Here he followed for many years the business of contractor and builder ; and was active in both church and Masonic circles. In 1873, he was attracted to Colorado by numerous New York acquaintances, who had come out with the Greeley colony. To one leaving the sea, the beauty of the mountains at Fort Collins attracted more strongly than the prairies surrounding Greeley. Consequently, Mr. Armstrong located in Fort Col- lins. He immediately became interested in the de- velopment of the town, erected several of its earlier residences and buildings and acquired a fair amount of prosperity. In 1880 he was appointed postmaster. He was prominent in all good works, mindful of the sick and needy, a loyal member of the First Presby- terian church of Fort Collins. He served in various offices, and was twice sent a Commissioner to the

General Assembly of the Presbyterian church. He was also an ardent member of the Masonic order, in which he had attained the thirty-second degree. At the time of his death, he had been for seven consecutive years, Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Colorado. His earthly life closed on the 4th day of September, 1904, in Denver, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Charles G. Mantz, where his widow rich in years and in fond memor- ies of Larimer county, now resides.

MILES A. BROWN was born in the state of New York on the 13th day of May, 1839. He was educated in the district schools of Fulton county. He has been three times wedded, marrying for his first helpmate Miss Sarah Cole in the year 1869, after his return from the Civil war. He served in this war from 1862 until 1865 in the First Michigan Sharp- shooters. His first battle experience was at the Wilderness and from this time until his discharge he was in many hard fought battles. In 1870 Mr.

MILES A. BROWN

Brown moved with his family to Colorado and set- tled on a farm in the Big Thompson valley, and afterwards in the same year in what came after- wards to be known as the Harmony district south-

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east of Fort Collins. His life since that time has been entirely devoted to farming, an occupation in which his efforts have been quite amply rewarded. When he arrived in Colorado, the problems of farm- ing by irrigation in the arid West were all un- solved and his perseverance and intelligence have contributed greatly to the building up of the mate- rial wealth of the county. In 1878 he was married to Ellen Cowles, and later, in 1895, to Clara Pres- ton. There are two children, Ellen, aged twelve, and B. T. aged eight years. Whatever enterprise has been undertaken in the county looking to the betterment of the condition of the farmers, to the improvement of the public schools, or to the gene- ral advancement of the county, has always found in Mr. Brown a warm and active supporter. While at no time an office seeker, he has been zealous in the performance of his duties as a citizen, being ever well posted on the questions of the day and ready by his ballot to register his opinion.

JOHN HARDIN .- Among the sturdy pioneers of Larimer county who helped to subdue the wilder- ness and make it habitable for the sons of men, John Hardin of Westlake, takes high rank. He was born January 13th, 1826, in Henry county, Kentucky, . and is of a long-lived, hardy race. Fourteen years later, he came to Missouri with his father's family and lived and worked on a farm until he attained his majority. That year, 1847, he joined a party of traders and went overland to California, driv- ing an ox team and being six months on the road. There he worked in the mines two winters and then returned to the States by sea, via the Isthmus of Panama. On June 22nd, 1852, Mr. Hardin married Sarah J. Hand. He worked on a farm until 1864, when he came to Colorado, settling in Pleasant valley, where he worked for Abner Loomis and B. T. Whedbee until 1865, when his wife died, leaving him with four children. These he took back to Missouri and put them in school. He remained in the old home until the following winter when he came back to Colorado with a wagon load of flour which he sold for $20.00 per hundred pounds, and returned to Missouri. On the 13th day of November, 1866, he married Mahalah Hand and remained east until the spring of 1869 when he again turned his face westward. He worked a rented farm in Pleasant valley that year and raised a crop of potatoes which brought him a goodly sum of money. He drove a bunch of cattle across the Plains when he came west the last time, and in the spring of 1870 he took up a home-

stead on the South Lone Pine, 48 miles northwest of Fort Collins, and moved his family and cattle there that year. Since that time this has been his home. For several years after he moved to the mountains he hauled lumber, fence posts and fire- wood to Fort Collins with a mule team, camping out wherever night overtook him. He now owns an excellent and well improved 320-acre stock ranch and a fine herd of high grade cattle. Up to his 85th year, Mr. Hardin was hale, hearty, strong and active and not a work day passed that he was not doing something on the ranch, chopping wood, making garden or looking after the cattle. He died August 8th, 1911. Mr. Hardin is the father of ten living children whose names are Louisa F., George W., Mary J., Amanda, Montana J., Mar- tha E., Matilda, John W., Mark, Allen R., and Edna R.

HENRY FORREST HALL, M. D., was born at Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, August 8, 1842. He graduated in medicine at the University of Ver- mont. At the outbreak of the Civil war, he went to the front as hospital steward in the U. S. regulars and was at the first battle of Bull Run. He saw service later under General Banks at New Orleans. After the war he went to California (via Panama) where he resided until January, 1886, when he came to Fort Collins. Here he practiced his pro- fession for several years and was beloved by many because of his kind and genial character. He was mayor of Fort Collins for one term. His health failing, he removed to Alberquerque, New Mexico, in 1891, and a year later returned to California. He died September 22, 1897, at Coronado Beach after a long sickness with locomotor ataxia. He was married in 1885 to Agnes C. Murdock who survives him at Las Gatos, California.

FULTON N. B. SCOTT was born December 19th, 1841, in Washington county, Pa., and received his education in Illinois. He came to Fort Collins in 1873 and followed blacksmithing for several years, at which he was very successful. Later he engaged in the hardware business at Loveland, retiring from that line of business about twelve years ago to give his attention to other interests. Mr. Scott has been a County Commissioner, a member of the Fort Collins city council, and is a director of the First National bank of Fort Collins and of the National Bank of Loveland. He is a man of large means, acquiring his start by hard work, and has been an important factor in the development of the indus- tries and business interests of Larimer county. He

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MRS. JOSEPH S. MCCLELLAND

JOSEPH S. MCCLELLAND

HISTORY OF

LARIMER COUNTY, COLORADO

has been twice married. His first wife was Emma Flemming who bore him a son, Ira J. Scott, of Denver. He married for his second wife, Mrs. R. T. Lown, a daughter of Judge and Mrs. W. B. Osborn, of Loveland. Two sons, Delano and Claire, were born of this union.

JOSEPH S. MCCLELLAND .- When Joseph Simp- son McClelland founded and established the Lari- mer County Express on April 26th, 1873, the first newspaper printed in the county, he builded a monu- ment that should perpetuate his memory for cen- turies. The county at that time had a population of less than 1,500, all told, and it was a courageous thing for a man to attempt to make such a venture a success in the widely separated and sparcely settled community that existed then. But he did it, honored be his memory, and the Express today is a living witness of his wise foresight and his confidence in the future of his chosen home. Mr. McClelland was born April 17th, 1837, in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. His parents were Joseph and Clarissa (Souder) McClelland, the former a native of Ireland and the latter of German descent. On January 5th, 1860, he was married to Henrietta Marsh, who died May 26th, 1906, in Fort Collins. For his second wife he married on September 12th, 1907, Mrs. Margaret Rambo, a widow and sister of his first wife. He died on Thursday, November 4th, 1909. Four sons, children by his first wife, survive him: Francis A., and Elmer F., employed on Denver newspapers; John Horace, employed on the Los Angeles, California, street railway system, and Henri S., who was associated with his father in conducting the large fruit farm at Fossil Creek. In early manhood our subject learned the printer's trade and published the Tribune at Tiflin, Ohio, for several years. Soon after the Civil war broke out Mr. McClelland enlisted May 27th, 1862, as sergeant in Company D of the 86th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and was mustered out September 25th, 1862, by reason of expiration of service. He reen- listed September 11th, 1863, in Company G of the 127th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and was given a Second Lieutenant's commission, being promoted to First Lieutenant on September 21st, 1864. This regiment saw much hard service in which the officers and men nobly acquitted themselves. He was mustered out with his regiment October 5th, 1865, at the close of the war. In 1866 he moved to Galesburg, Illinois, and purchased the Free Press, which he edited and conducted until 1872, coming to Colorado late that year. He worked on Denver

newspapers a few months and in the spring of 1873 he came to Fort Collins and established the Express, the first number of which appeared April 26th, of that year. Shortly afterwards he filed on 160 acres of fruit and farm land at Fossil Creek, on which he lived for many years, going back and forth from his farm to his office until January, 1880, when he sold his newspaper to Craft brothers, and retired permanently from the printing business to give his whole time and attention to his farm, without, how- ever, neglecting his duties as a citizen or losing his interest in public affairs. He was a member of Geo. H. Thomas post, G. A. R., serving one term as commander. He was also an active member of the Patrons of Husbandry, being one of those who organized the first Grange in Larimer county at Fort Collins in 1874. For several years before his death he was a leading member of Pomona Grange and served it as master. From 1878 to 1880, he was Postmaster at Fort Collins; served four years as a member of the State Board of Agriculture; was President of the State Horticultural Society for two years. Associated with other farmers he as- sisted in building what was known as the Watson Mill which stood near the railroad track north of the depot and later contributed to the building of the Farmer's Mill, the structure being now used as a wholesale grocery store. He was also actively associated with others in getting the big beet sugar factory established in Fort Collins, and assisted in the promotion and construction of several irrigating canals, ditches and reservoirs in the Cache la Poudre valley. He was an active, energetic and very enterprising man and did much during his thirty-six years' residence in Larimer county to advance its material and moral development. In 1904 he gave over the management of his fruit farm to his son, Henri, and moved into Fort Collins which was his home until death called him hence. The McClelland fruit farm at Fossil Creek is widely known in Colorado on account of the extent of its orchards and variety and excellent character of the fruit produced, our subject being a pioneer in the fruit-growing industry in Larimer county. He began planting fruit trees on his claim in 1876, and kept adding to the area of his orchard until he had about 100 acres planted to a great variety of fruit trees and shrubs.

WARREN H. RUTLEDGE first made his presence known among the people of this world some time in 1872, in County Sligo, Ireland, where he received his education. He came to Colorado in March,

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1898, and settled in Estes Park where he is engaged in the stock business and ranching in which he is meeting with a fair measure of success.

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History of Larimer County, Colorado, Part 73

Author: Watrous, Ansel, 1835-1927 Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Fort Collins, Colo. : The Courier Printing & Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 678

Author: Watrous, Ansel, 1835-1927
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Fort Collins, Colo. : The Courier Printing & Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 678